Jan. 16, 2026, 11:50 p.m. CT

HOUSTON — The Rockets entered Friday in a historically awful 3-point shooting stretch, but Kevin Durant made sure to end it in Friday’s 111-105 victory (box score) over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

With the win, the fifth-seeded Rockets (24-15) pulled closer to the fourth-seeded Wolves (27-15) in the tightly packed Western Conference standings.

Durant, a perennial All-Star and future Hall of Famer, was the big story.

On night two of a back-to-back for the Rockets (who lost to Oklahoma City on Thursday), the 37-year-old finished with a season-high 39 points and 7 assists while making 11-of-18 shots (61.1%), 6-of-8 from 3-point range (75.0%), and 11-of-14 from the free-throw line (78.6%).

“Be aggressive, and try to bounce back after last night,” Durant told Space City Home Network’s Vanessa Richardson of his mindset. ”I just love that we’re staying together.”

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The Timberwolves weren’t on night two of a back-to-back, but they were without All-Star guard Anthony Edwards (toe infection).

Beyond Durant, key individual statistics for both teams included:

Alperen Sengun: 25 points, 14 rebounds; 11-of-22 shooting (50.0%)Amen Thompson: 14 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists; 5-of-12 shooting (41.7%)Reed Sheppard: 14 points, 2 assists in 19 minutes; 5-of-9 shooting (55.6%), 4-of-6 on 3-pointers (66.7%)Julius Randle (Timberwolves): 39 points, 4 rebounds; 14-of-25 shooting (56.0%), 2-of-5 on 3-pointers ($0.0%), 9-of-11 on free throws (81.8%)Rudy Gobert (Wolves): 10 points, 13 rebounds, 2 blocks; 4-of-7 shooting (57.1%), 2-of-10 on free throws (20.0%)Naz Reid (Wolves): 25 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists; 8-of-12 shooting (66.7%), 5-of-7 on 3-pointers (71.4%), 4-of-5 on free throws (80.0%)

Collectively, Houston shot 39-of-84 overall (46.4%) and 12-of-28 from 3-point range (42.9%), a dramatic improvement from recent games.

Next up for the Rockets is Sunday’s matchup versus New Orleans (10-34), which is the fourth of a five-game homestand at Toyota Center.

Tipoff of Rockets-Pelicans is at 6:00 p.m. Central, and the game will be televised regionally on Space City Home Network (SCHN) and nationally via NBA League Pass.

More: ‘Exponentially better’: Wolves impressed by Houston’s Tristen Newton